B&W reversal clearing bath

Description

The third bath: it removes bleach residues and their reaction products, which would otherwise stain the finished slide yellow. A short step, but not one to skip.

Why it is needed

After bleaching, compounds remain in the emulsion that give a persistent overall yellow stain during second development. The clearing bath reduces them to a soluble form and the wash carries them away. The slide comes out neutral instead of veiled in yellow.

What it looks like

The step takes a minute or two and has a distinct smell. This solution exhausts faster than the others in the process, which is why it is sold separately as well as in the kit.

Questions and answers

What happens if I skip it?

The slide picks up an overall yellow cast, and there is no fixing it afterwards.